1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system component assembly, and more particularly to an information handling system printed circuit board extraction and latching device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems are typically built by assembling a wide variety of components in a chassis and interfacing the components through a main printed circuit board (PCB) known as a motherboard. For example, a motherboard integrates a main processor socket to accept a central processing unit (CPU) and other sockets to accept other processing components, such as a chipset and memory. Wires disposed in the motherboard communicate electrical signals between the processing component sockets. Processing components that are too big to actually couple to the motherboard, such as hard disk drives, are typically connected with wiring harnesses to connectors of the motherboard. The capability of an information handling system generally depends upon the types of components that are selected to interface through the motherboard. This allows end users flexibility in the purchase of information handling systems by selecting information handling systems with capabilities that match an intended task and with costs of a desired budget.
Often, components that interface with a motherboard are themselves assembled on a PCB, sometimes known as a daughter card or mezzanine card. In one common configuration, a daughter card has a connector at an end that inserts into a connector of the motherboard so that the daughter card extends perpendicular from the motherboard. A perpendicular assembly provides ready access to the PCB edges for assembly and removal, however, the height of the assembled system relative to the motherboard requires a relatively large chassis to contain the components. In the mezzanine configuration, the mezzanine card has a connector located on its bottom surface that connects to the motherboard connector so that the mezzanine card assembles parallel to the motherboard. A parallel or “stacked” assembly effectively compresses the height of the information handling system relative to the motherboard so that a shorter chassis can contain the components. Reduced chassis height is particularly helpful with server information handling systems, which stack vertically in a rack. In addition, a parallel assembly of a mezzanine board relative to a motherboard provides room to attach a heat sink that extends into an airflow over the motherboard for cooling of components of the mezzanine board.
One difficulty with the parallel configuration of a mezzanine board relative to a motherboard is that a restricted amount of space is typically available around the mezzanine board for assembly and disassembly to the motherboard. Other components coupled to the motherboard near the mezzanine board make grasping the PCB edges difficult. If, instead, an end user attempts to grasp a heat sink of the mezzanine board to pull the mezzanine board free from the motherboard connector, damage can occur to the mezzanine board. Since the connector of the mezzanine board is not typically visible when coupled to the motherboard, pulling on the heat sink can create a lateral force that damages the motherboard connector, the mezzanine board connector or the components and wiring of the mezzanine circuit board. The restricted space around the mezzanine board typically requires that small-sized retention hooks are generally used to secure the mezzanine board in place at the motherboard connector. These small retention hooks are difficult to manipulate in the small space typically available around the mezzanine board and easily broken.